School Board Approves ‘Board Book Premier’ for Paperless Meetings

Article Summary: The Manhattan School District 114 will transition to a digital platform for its board meetings, selecting Board Book Premier to improve public access to documents and create a more efficient, paperless system for board members. The new platform is expected to be implemented later this fall.

Board Agenda and Meeting Online Platforms Key Points:

• The district will pay an annual subscription of $4,000 for the Board Book Premier service.

• The platform provides digital agendas and documents for the public and allows board members to take notes electronically during meetings.

MANHATTAN – Board meetings in Manhattan School District 114 are going digital. The Board of Education approved the adoption of Board Book Premier, an online platform for managing meeting agendas, documents, and exhibits.

Superintendent Dr. Damien Aherne recommended the platform following a review of two potential vendors. He said Board Book Premier was chosen over its competitor, Board Docs, because it was “half the cost at $4,000 for the annual subscription” and was more user-friendly on both the administrative and public-facing sides.

The new system will allow the district to post all meeting materials online in a clean, accessible format for the community. Board members will be equipped with iPads at meetings to access documents and take notes within their own secure accounts, significantly reducing paper usage and printing costs.

“It’s a little bit of a cleaner platform,” Dr. Aherne said, noting its ease of use for staff who upload documents.

Dr. Aherne told the board he hopes to have the new system up and running by the November meeting but stressed that the district would take the necessary time to ensure a smooth transition. Board members voiced their excitement for the move toward a more modern and efficient system.